Recommend me a starter bike

[Familia323]

I think the FZ6 would be an ok starter bike. Here's why. Relaxed suspension geometry. Sportbikes are very agressive in their rake/trail/length. The FZ6 is much more relaxed in that regard. The power aspect is not what gets people hurt (aside from looping one @ WOT)

People get hurt when they can't stop or steer away from an obstacle (trees are obstacles )
Bikes with very agressive geometries will handle extremely well, until you do something wrong. Then they spit you off and you get hurt. Bikes like the FZ6 have a much greater fudge factor. You get more warning when you are on the verge of doing something silly.



I'm guessing your friends read motorcycle magazines and don't actually ride any of the bikes they are talking about. ALL 600s need to be rev'd for power. Some a little more than others. 2 ftlbs of trq and 3 hp won't really make that much of a difference on the street. They are all silly fast.

Another thing to note about the FZ6 is that it becomes a whole different animal after 7K rpms. Fairly docile down low, and impressively quick up high. The bike revs to around 13,500rpms, so plenty of high end to play with....Kinda like Vtec Y0! FZ6 is a much better choice for a starter bike than an R6, GXR600, or CBR.


I'm a fan of the FZ6 myself. awesome bike for the price.

 

[girth]

no my friends own them and i've been in those bikes as well, and they sick crazy so they know what they talking about the only thing is each has its own ego on the bikes that makes me hard to choose.
CBR600R that's the only one i haven't tried but based on read/ppl its more forgibing than GSX600 and R6 , the s*** is the $$$ that makes a diff cuz i could get hooked up from my boy w/ GXS600 but that's too stiff to start w/ i know that cuz i tried before, the R6 feels light and its pricy as well as CBR600R

My advice - learn to use a period and break things up into sentences, THEN learn to ride a bike.

 

[1sty]

no my friends own them and i've been in those bikes as well, and they sick crazy so they know what they talking about the only thing is each has its own ego on the bikes that makes me hard to choose.
CBR600R that's the only one i haven't tried but based on read/ppl its more forgibing than GSX600 and R6 , the s*** is the $$$ that makes a diff cuz i could get hooked up from my boy w/ GXS600 but that's too stiff to start w/ i know that cuz i tried before, the R6 feels light and its pricy as well as CBR600R

Complete user preference.
I know a guy that lives and dies by GSXRs and HATES hondas for being slow and expensive. He likes Kawa, but had bad reliability issues with his so he stays Suzuki now. I know others that think Honda is the best. Others say yamaha. These guys all play in the 1000cc+ catagories of sports bikes and all dance near insanity with the crap they pull. I wont even ride with them, no way in hell I can keep up.

To make the same point alot of people are about riding experince and how people can not handle the bikes they own. We had a new guy ride with us and he had just picked up a GSXR600. He was pissed that his bike was too slow and not able to keep up with them. I say them becuase I dont even bother any more. He bitched for about an hour then one of the guys with an R1 swapped with him. Now the R1 was at the back of the pack with me and the GSXR600 was screaming with the rest of them.


As for my point about feeling like a tools, you guys have to realize that there is a huge gap between feeling like a tool and trying to "look" cool. I dont race, dont speed, dont do stupid tricks, and I where a full padded jacket helmet and gloves everytime I ride. Far from trying to look cool in my book. But on a 250 I just feel like I am on a kids bike. I would much prefer to get a cruiser or something more relaxed then a tiny sports bike.

 

[1sty]

Another thing to note about the FZ6 is that it becomes a whole different animal after 7K rpms. Fairly docile down low, and impressively quick up high. The bike revs to around 13,500rpms, so plenty of high end to play with....Kinda like Vtec Y0! FZ6 is a much better choice for a starter bike than an R6, GXR600, or CBR.


I'm a fan of the FZ6 myself. awesome bike for the price.

Been looking at that level of bike as well but have drifted toward the Ninja 650R. Any thoughts on those?
I like the 650R for the covered look and the lesser price

 

[Familia323]

Been looking at that level of bike as well but have drifted toward the Ninja 650R. Any thoughts on those?
I like the 650R for the covered look and the lesser price

Umm.. I don't know too much about the 650R, other than from other people's experiences. My cousin has one and from what he has said, it has good low-mid range power, but he feels that it really could use more up top. So keep in mind that the parallel twin is going to have a different feel than the inline four of the FZ6. Another thing to think about is that although the seat heights are almost identical, I think the FZ might have a more upright seating position. So if you like to be leaning forward more, then the 650R might feel nicer to you. The Kawi is also going to be a little bit lighter according to their weight claims. However, I personally didn't find the FZ6 to be that heavy feeling.

The best thing you can do is go test ride each bike and see how each one feels to you. If you are serious about the bike and have a license, I don't see why a bike shop wouldn't let you take one out briefly. Sorry if that doesn't really help, but I don't know too much about the 650R to make a good comparison.

 

[girth]

I have a 2006 Ninja 650R and have ridden the FZ6. IMO the 650R is the PERFECT starter bike for someone who wants sportbike looks but the ease of riding something more relaxed. True sportbikes are hard to learn on because of the handlebar position.

The FZ6 is a superior bike to the 650R in my opinion but the Kawi is cheaper so it's really a horse apiece. Each one is pretty much equal as far as seating position - possibly the Kawi is a little bit more upright and easier but it's close. The FZ6 has better power and just feels more refined, but again it's pretty close. If I had to do it over I'd still go with the Kawi simply because of the price. It's the perfect bike to learn on too, I don't know why more people don't consider it. Maybe it's still too new for people to know?

 

[1sty]

I have a 2006 Ninja 650R and have ridden the FZ6. IMO the 650R is the PERFECT starter bike for someone who wants sportbike looks but the ease of riding something more relaxed. True sportbikes are hard to learn on because of the handlebar position.

The FZ6 is a superior bike to the 650R in my opinion but the Kawi is cheaper so it's really a horse apiece. Each one is pretty much equal as far as seating position - possibly the Kawi is a little bit more upright and easier but it's close. The FZ6 has better power and just feels more refined, but again it's pretty close. If I had to do it over I'd still go with the Kawi simply because of the price. It's the perfect bike to learn on too, I don't know why more people don't consider it. Maybe it's still too new for people to know?

Cool, might just have to go get one Satureday